Backstage Update On Chad Gable's Post-El Grande Americano Push

After being unmasked in a match against El Grande Americano that some believe is the Match of the Year, Chad Gable has returned to WWE as himself. Upon his return, he apologized to Rey Fénix for his cultural appropriation. He has since apologized to Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee. Gable had another shot at redemption on the June 8 episode of "Raw". After the match, he was tempted by Mysterio's mask that had been ripped off by Rusev, but he gave it back to Penta to give to Mysterio.

Gable has been highly praised for his work and that is leading to some people within WWE to advocate for him to have a big push on TV. WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select reports "that there are several within WWE pushing for Gable to have a prominent presence at [SummerSlam] in his hometown of Minneapolis."

El Grande Americano has a mask up for auction to benefit the Dr. Sonrisas Foundation, a foundation that benefits children with life-threatening illnesses. WWE and Fanatics are working together to auction off the mask he wore during the Mask vs. Mask match. WrestleVotes Radio reports that Fanatics are "flabbergasted" by the response to the mask's response at auction. The response has them "brainstorming other [ring-worn] merchandise ideas, including some that could be bid on even before a match takes place."

As of this writing, bids for El Grande Americano's mask is up to over $40,000 with a week to go.